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Approaches to Harmony in Selected Works from Gesualdo's Madrigali E

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Approaches to Harmony in Selected Works from Gesualdo's Madrigali E Approaches to Harmony in Selected Works from Gesualdo’s Madrigali e Cinque Voci Nicholas James Hunter BMusHons A thesis submitted for the degree of Master of Philosophy at The University of Queensland in 2016 School of Music Abstract This dissertation investigates Gesualdo’s approaches to harmony in a sample of works from his six books of madrigals: Quanto ha di dolce amore (Book I), In più leggiadro velo (Book II), Dolce spirto d’Amore (Book III), Io tacerὸ, ma nel silenzio mio (Book IV), Itene, o miei sospiri (Book V), and Moro, lasso, al mio duolo (Book VI). Drawing upon approaches developed by Luca Bruno, John Turci-Escobar, and Stefano La Via, the methodology assesses the relationships between harmonic chromaticism and textual, polyphonic, and harmonic structure in each of the six selected madrigals. The dissertation first identifies and defines the various cadence types employed by Gesualdo, with particular focus on those involving chromaticism. It then demonstrates how cadential techniques such as inter-phrase continuity and expressive phrase-overlapping affect polyphonic and harmonic structure in the madrigals. Finally, there is a detailed analysis of each selected madrigal that involves defining the formal units of polyphonic and textual segmentation, presenting a cadential analysis and a taxonomy of all cadential and non-cadential triads, and examining the most structurally important triadic sonorities and their relationships with the overall tonal centre. Declaration by author This thesis is composed of my original work, and contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference has been made in the text. I have clearly stated the contribution by others to jointly-authored works that I have included in my thesis. I have clearly stated the contribution of others to my thesis as a whole, including statistical assistance, survey design, data analysis, significant technical procedures, professional editorial advice, and any other original research work used or reported in my thesis. The content of my thesis is the result of work I have carried out since the commencement of my research higher degree candidature and does not include a substantial part of work that has been submitted to qualify for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university or other tertiary institution. I have clearly stated which parts of my thesis, if any, have been submitted to qualify for another award. I acknowledge that an electronic copy of my thesis must be lodged with the University Library and, subject to the policy and procedures of The University of Queensland, the thesis be made available for research and study in accordance with the Copyright Act 1968 unless a period of embargo has been approved by the Dean of the Graduate School. I acknowledge that copyright of all material contained in my thesis resides with the copyright holder(s) of that material. Where appropriate I have obtained copyright permission from the copyright holder to reproduce material in this thesis. Publications during candidature No Publications Publications included in this thesis No Publications Included Contributions by others to the thesis No contributions by others Statement of parts of the thesis submitted to qualify for the award of another degree None Acknowledgements First and foremost I would like to thank my supervisor Denis Collins whose advice, guidance and patience has helped me to complete this project. I would also like to thank my family: my wife, Esther, parents, Anne and Greg, mother-and-father-in-law, Lynne and Garry, and brothers, Chris and Michael, for their constant encouragement and understanding. Keywords gesualdo, harmony, sixteenth-century, bruno, cadential-analysis, madrigal Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classifications (ANZSRC) ANZSRC code: 190409, Musicology and Ethnomusicology, 100% Fields of Research (FoR) Classification FoR code: 1904, Performing Arts and Creative Writing, 100% Approaches to Harmony in Selected Works from Gesualdo’s Madrigali e Cinque Voci Contents Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 1 Chapter 1: Cadential Structures in Gesualdo’s Madrigals ............................................... 14 1.1 Contrapuntal Dyadic Progressions at Cadences ............................................................. 14 1.2 Bernhard Meier’s Analysis of Gallus Dressler’s Cadential Clausulae .......................... 17 1.3 Vincenzo Galilei’s “Affective Nature of Cadences” ...................................................... 22 Chapter 2: Techniques of Inter-Phrase Continuity and Defintions of Cadences Types in Gesualdo’s Madrigals ............................................................................................................ 26 2.1 Evaporated Cadences ..................................................................................................... 27 2.2 Interrupted Cadences ...................................................................................................... 31 2.3 Distorted Cadences ......................................................................................................... 32 2.4 Synechdochic Cadences ................................................................................................. 33 2.5 Expressive Phrase-Overlapping ..................................................................................... 34 2.6 Passing Notes ................................................................................................................. 35 2.7 Neighbour Notes ............................................................................................................ 35 2.8 Dissonant Suspensions ................................................................................................... 36 2.9 False Relations ............................................................................................................... 38 2.10 Expressive Phrase-Overlapping with Indirect Chromaticism ...................................... 39 2.11 Expressive Phrase-Overlapping with Direct Chromaticism ......................................... 40 2.12 Other Types of Cadential Chromaticism Identified by Turci-Escobar in Gesualdo’s Madrigals ............................................................................................................ 41 2.13 Semitone Flip ............................................................................................................... 42 2.14 Semitone Deflection ..................................................................................................... 43 2.15 Fontanelli’s Phrygian Cadential Variations ............................................................ 46 2.16 “Chromatic (death-) Cadences” ................................................................................... 49 Chapter 3: Textual and Polyphonic Segmentation in Gesualdo’s Quanto ha di dolce amore ....................................................................................................................................... 52 3.1 Formal Units in Quanto ha di dolce amore .................................................................... 52 3.2 A Cadential Analysis of Quanto ha di dolce amore ....................................................... 55 Chapter 4: A Harmonic Analysis of Quanto ha di dolce amore ........................................ 71 4.1 A Taxonomy of all Cadential and Non-Cadential Triadic Sonorities in Quanto ha di dolce amore ................................................................................................................. 71 4.2 Most Structurally Important Triadic Sonorities in Quanto ha di dolce amore ............... 73 Chapter 5: Analysis of Madrigals from Books II-IV .......................................................... 77 5.1 Analysis of In più leggiadro velo ................................................................................. 77 5.1.1 Formal Units in In più leggiadro velo ......................................................................... 77 5.1.2 A Cadential Analysis of In più leggiadro velo ............................................................ 79 5.1.3 A Taxonomy of all Cadential and Non-Cadential Triadic Sonorities in In più leggiadro velo.......................................................................................................... 85 5.1.4 Most Structurally Important Triadic Sonorities in In più leggiadro velo .................... 86 5.2 Analysis of Dolce spirto d’amore ................................................................................ 88 5.2.1 Formal Units in Dolce spirto d’amore ......................................................................... 88 5.2.2 A Cadential Analysis of Dolce spirto d’amore ........................................................... 89 5.2.3 A Taxonomy of all Cadential and Non-Cadential Triadic Sonorities in Dolce spirto d’amore ....................................................................................................................... 94 5.2.4 Most Structurally Important Triadic Sonorities in Dolce spirto d’amore ................... 95 5.3 Analysis of Io tacerὸ, ma nel silenzio mio .................................................................. 97 5.3.1 Formal Units in Io tacerὸ, ma nel silenzio mio ........................................................... 97 5.3.2 A Cadential Analysis of Io tacerὸ, ma nel silenzio mio .............................................
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